Reflection- CEP 812

I believe that one of the most important concepts that I have learned in this class as well as 810 and 811 is to have a purpose of using technology, not to just use it for the sake of using it. I believe that this idea is why some older teachers can't wrap their heads around the idea of using technology. They can't think of problems within their room where technology can help. They have used all of their other tricks to help in these problem areas in the past. Why would they need to learn about technology when they have been successful with their jobs in the years that they have been teaching?
It's important for me to remember that there is so much technology out there, all I have to do is search for it. Having easy access is one positive for technology, but making sure that it is cohesive to the students learning is an area to be concerned about. It's important for a teacher to make sure that sites that they have found are school appropriate, age appropriate, and will benefit their student's learning rather than becoming a hindrance. "The new technologies provide opportunities for creating learning environments that extend the possibilities of "old". (Bransford Article) Technology makes it possible for students to learn by doing, build upon previous knowledge, refine their understand, and receive feedback, these ideas all build upon their education and help them to become better learners (Bransford Article).
My personal goals were simple...learn more about technology and how I could integrate it into the classroom to provide my students with a great learning environment where they would be successful. I believe that I have met that goal. This was my first year of teaching where I had taken CEP classes and was able to take those ideas that I have learned and incorporate them into my students environment.
I still have a personal goal of creating a website where my students would participate in a reading challenge. This technology would allow students to take tests on books that they had read as well as tally their points earned from their books and add their points to their team points. This website would have my students in groups that would be racing towards a goal, which team would get there the fastest. Reading becomes a mundane subject in school and I think that a website like this would encourage my students as well as give them some pride on what their groups were accomplishing. Of course the winners would be rewarded with something little and once the goal was met the groups would be redefined. This is a long term goal that I eventually hope to reach.